Jesus responded, "why are you afraid? Have you so little faith!" Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.
The Disciples were amazed. "Who is this man?" they asked. "Even the winds and waves obey him!"
Matthew 8: 23-27
Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, "It's a ghost!"
But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," He said. "Take courage. I am here!"
Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you walking on the water."
"Yes, Come," Jesus said
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" He shouted
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "you have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?"
When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. "You really are the Son of God!" They exclaimed.
Matthew 14:22-33
I just love these stories. They are such wonderful reminders to me in times of a storm. Most of my storms I'll admit are very emotionally based. As a women I think we struggle with more emotions than anything. We feel so much that many times we take our feelings as straight truth when they may be blinding us to the truth. At times they may even be hindering us from experiencing truth.
Even recently I have been faced with a raging fighting storm inside my heart and mind. It's hard to find truth of the matter when my brain goes every which way and I can't seem to find which way is up or down.
Truth about it though is that no matter how bad the storm the one thing I have stuck to when in the storm is Jesus.
Just like in the two stories above where even though the disciples had barely any faith that they were going to survive their immediate instinct was to reach out and call for Jesus help. In the first story the disciples woke him up for fear they were all going to drown. In the second story Peter immediately cried out to the Lord to save him. Sure we can agree they had little faith, but the point is that they at least HAD faith. Though it was little they had enough faith to call upon the one they trusted to save them.
Also in both scriptures we see Jesus accusing them of being of little faith. Why did Jesus accuse them of having little faith if they had enough faith to call to him and trust He could do something to change the situation?
What the disciples lacked was the faith God had given them the same power to control the wind and the waves. God, through Jesus being with us, has given us the same power to control the waves, to walk on water. We have the power to shush the storm inside.
So, what does this mean exactly?
We are fighting a battle. We are in the midst of a war we can not see with our eyes but can experience with our souls. Our feelings are what entangle us in that war. It is what makes us feel that we are caught up inside of it. The war is a fight over you. The war is a fight over your heart, your soul.
The good and the bad, there really is that war going on. (God vs Satan) To choose to hold tight and fight off the bad, the scary thoughts that keep us feeling like we are suffocating and drowning in worry and fear. We have control and power to say, Jesus has won! I am on his side. Evil has no room in this place!
Put your foot down. Tell Satan exactly who you want to have win, and in turn who has just won that battle.
When the war is ragging and more than you can handle and you have taken your eyes of Christ but you still know he's there, that's the time you take what little faith you have left and just like Peter cry out "Lord, Save me!"
"He replied, 'if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.' " Luke 17:6
He Replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain 'move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." - Matthew 17:20
It doesn't take a ton of faith to do the impossible! The little bit of faith that may be left inside of you is all you need to be able to cry out and ask Jesus to catch your hand and keep you from drowning in the storms waging war inside of you
It's time to cry out, take the stand. Even if you seem to have lost faith that He loves you just choose to believe that He will save you from the Storm within. The rest of the saving grace comes after you cry out.
So we are left with two choices each time we face this storm inside:
1) Throw up our hands and give up, drown in the storm of worry and fear, assuming God just doesn't care about you and your 'little problems.'
or
2) Cry out "LORD, SAVE ME!" And watch Him lovingly reach for you, help you into a boat of safety and watch Him calm the wind and waves. He's not going to let you drown if you ask Him to save you.
